Coin controlled mechanism



Dec, 4, 1934. c DU E 1,983,073

COIN CONTROLLED MECHANI SM Filed Nov 24, 1931 "1' III!VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA L llllll Patented Dec. 4, 1934 UNITED STATES com comonmn imcmmsu Francis 0. Dn Grenier, Havel-hill, Mass.) amino:-

of one-half to Blanche E. Boncliard, Havel-hill, I

. Application November 24, 1031, Serial No. 571,044

' 12 Claims. (01. 194-1) This invention relates to coin controlled mechanism employed in connection with vending machines, or machines in which the dispensing mechanism is normally locked and may be unlocked or released by inserting one or more practically perfect coins, a machine of this type being disclosed by Patent 1,821,501, dated September 1st 1931 to A. H. Du Grenier.

a In the operation of vending machines of the 1 0 selective type, or machines of the type which permit the vendee to select diiferent articles and secure the delivery thereof from a single machine, or machines of the type which require the insertion of a plurality of coins to unlock the dislii pensing mechanism, it is desirable to permit the purchaser to retrieve his coin or coins after he has inserted them and before he has attempted to operate the dispensing mechanism for several reasons, particularly because the purchaser may 20. discover, after he has placed his coins in the machine, that the machine does not contain the particular brand of the commodity which he desired, so that he prefers to have his coins returned, or where, for example, two coins must be placed in the machine at the same time before delivery can be secured, the vendee may discover after having inserted one of the necessary coins that he has no coin or the required denomination, so that he will wish to have the coin which he has inserted returned to him, as the dispensing mechanism will notice unlocked by the coin which has been inserted.

. In machines of the character above referred to particularly where the insertion of two coins '35 of different denomination is necessary to secure 5 condition it is desirable that surplus coins be immediately returned to the person. inserting them. The objects of my invention are to provide a mechanism of the above described character in which the coins which are placed in the machine are normally deliveredto a position in which they may act, or be moved to release or unlock the dispensing mechanism, after they have been tested as to their physical characteristics, and in which (the return of the coins which have been inserted 5 may be immediately secured in lieu of the merchandise which the machine is arranged to deliver. Also, in the same connection, to provide a construction whereby, upon the insertion of a second coin of the same denomination as one 50 which has previously been inserted, and before the'dispensing mechanism is operated, one ofsaid coins will be immediately restored. I

I accomplish these objects by means of the construction and arrangement hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in whic Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a-coin controlled mechanism embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof at line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is detail plan view of the coin-receiver which is employed. i

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views in side'elevation, illustrating different positions-of certain parts shown in Fig. 1.

The coin controlled mechanism illustrated is of the general type disclosed in said prior patent, in which the coin, after it has been inserted in the entrance slot, is tested as. to its various physical characteristics and then, if foimd to meet requirements, is delivered to a coin receiver, so that when the dispensing mechanism is operated to securethe delivery of the goods, the coin will be moved in a manner to release the locking mechanism of. the dispensing mechanism, and permit the delivery. Only such parts of such a mechanism are shown as are considered neces- 1 sary to a disclosure of the present invention.

In the drawing a .vertical partition 10 is indicated, in which a shaft 12 is mounted and is moved by an operating handle 13 to secure delivery of the articles vended. A sector shaped arm 14 is mounted on shaft 12 and is swung in the direction of the arrow in Fig, 1 when the handle is depressed temperate the dispensing means.

While the present invention may be advantageously employed in connection with a mechanism in which the dispensing mechanism is released upon the insertion of a single coin, it is particularly desirable when used in connection with a mechanism which requires the insertion of a plurality of coins to secure such release, an? the mechanism shown is of the latter charac er. e

I'he.v partition 10 is provided with a pair of downwardly extending coin passages 15, 16 which may be conveniently termed entrance passages, said passages being arranged 'side by side to correspond dimensionally to the particular coins which are to pass therethrough, so that the coins are held vertically therein. The rear side of the arm 14 is provided with a lateral extension 17, in which openings 18 and 19 are formed,

with a horizontally extending flange 22 at its upper edge, which extends directly beneath the lateral extension 17, and provides a support for the coins which pass down thru the openings 18, 19 from the passages 15, 16, so thatthe coin in the opening 18 will be held on its edge in a vertical position, which is indicated by the dotted line position a oi the coin in Fig. 1. The support 20 also has a flange portion 23, which extends continuously with the flange 22 at approximately right angles thereto, said flanges 22, 23 meeting in a rounded connection portion. A manually controlled pull rod 24 is connected by a pivot 25 to the support 20, and a spring acts to' hold said support in normal position, indicated in Figs. 1 and 5, in which position, the flange portion 22 extends at a slight inclination downward from flange portion 23, and the portion 23 extends downward nearly perpendicularly from the portion 22.

A pair of locking hooks 2'7, 28 are mounted on a pivot 29 and are normally held by springs in position to engage a pin 30 on the arm 14, so that operative movement of the shaft 12 will not normally be permitted beyond a certain point. When, however, suitable coins have been delivered to each passage 15, 16 so that they are supported on the flange 22 in the openings 18,

19 of the arm 14, and the operating handle 12 is depressed, the coins will be'moved upward on the flange 22 and will engage fingers 31, 32 on the hooks 2'7, 28'respectively and lift the latter out of the path of the pin 30, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the dispensing mechanism may be operated. The coins are thus propelled along the supporting flange 22 by direct engagement of the rear sides of the openings 18, 19 therewith until they reach the rounded connecting portion between flanges 22, '23 and then they will be no longer supported by said flanges. and will pass down on the flange 23 into a money receiving chamber, so that they will be retained in the machine.

As shown in Fig. 1, the entrance passages 15, 16 extend rearward as they extend downward and then have a nearly right angular bend, so that their lower portions extend forwardly at a slight inclination from the vertical, as they extend downward, and a coin-restoring passage 34 is formed directly in the rear of said lower portions, and branches laterally therefrom in the planes thereof, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4. From this point the passage 34 extends downward beneath the supporting flange 22 and then downward to a chute 35 which opens at its lower end at a point where it will restore the coins discharged there to the purchaser.

With the above described construction, after a coin has been placed in the machine, and passes down the entrance passage into the coin receiver formed by the supporting flange 22 and the sides of the openings 18, 19, in the lateral projection 1'7 on the arm 14, to the position a of Fig. 1, if it is then desired to secure the return of the coin, the rod 24 is pulled outward, so that the support 20 is swung on its pivot to approximately the position oi! Fig. 4, thereby causing the coin supporting flange 22 to be swung downward, or tilted towards the passage 34, so that the coin or coins supported thereon are discharged into the passage 34, and retuned.

This is particularly advantageous for example, in case the prospective purchaser, after having placed one of the necessary coins in the machine, finds that he has. no coin oi the other denomination necessary. so that he wishes to have the coin which he has inserted restored. Also; after having inserted the necessary coins he may discover that the supply of the particular articles which he desires has become exhausted, so that he wishes to have the coins restored for this reason.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will-be'noted that, when a coin has been delivered to the coin receiver, so that it is supported on its edge in the vertical position a therein, it will be held in a position in which the highest point in its periphery will be slightly in front of the middle of the lower portion of the coin passage thru which it has passed, also, that the top portion of the coin will be approximately at the level of the bottom of the passage 34, as it opens into the rear side of the passages 15 or 16, in which position the edge of the coin will provide a deflecting surface which will be engaged by a coin subsequently inserted.

Under these conditions, if a coin of the required denomination is inserted, so that it passes into position a of Fig. 1 and then, before the coin is discharged from the coin receiver, another coin of the same denomination is inserted, the second coin will engage the edge of the flrst coin at the rear side of the highest point in its periphery, or between the highest point in its periphery and the entrance to the restoring passage 34, as indicated by the dotted line position b in Fig. 1, and will then be deflected into the passage 34, as indicated by dotted line position 1. In a normally locked coin-controlled mech-- anism having a coin-restoring passage, a coin receiver to which a plurality of coins are normally delivered and on which'they are simultaneously supported, controlling means for moving the coins from the receiver to a position in which they will be retained and. for releasing said mechanism, and manually operated means independent of said controlling means for simultaneously delivering the coins from the receiver to said restoring passage.

2. In a normally locked coin-controlled mechanism having a coin-restoring passage, a normally stationary coin support to which a plurality of coins are normally delivered and on which they are simultaneously supported, controlling means for moving the coins from said support to a position in which they will be retained and for releasingsaid mechanism, and manually op erated means independent of said controlling. means for moving said support simultaneously to discharge the coins supported thereby into said restoring passage.

3. In a coin-controlled mechanism having a coin-restoring, and a coin retaining passage, a movably'mounted coin support to which a plurality of coins are normally delivered and on which they are simultaneously supported in a predetermined position, a locking mechanism, an actuating device for moving the coins while sustained by said support into engagement with saidlocking mechanism to release the same and deliver the coins to said retaining passage, and manually controlled means connected to said support and arranged when operated to move said support simultaneously to deliver the coins thereon to said'restoring passage.

4. A coin controlled mechanism having a coin restoring and a coin retaining passage, said passages having adjacently disposed entrances, a normally stationary, tiltably mounted coin support disposed between said entrances, means for delivering a cointhereto and holding it thereon in a predetermined position, a locking mechanism, a coin actuatorfor moving a coin from said support to -release said locking mechanism and thereafter to deliver the coin to said retaining passage, and manuallycontrolled means arranged to tilt said support to deliver a coin sustained thereon into said restoring passage.

5. A coin controlled mechanism having a coin restoring, and a coin retaining passage, said passages having adj'acently disposed entrances, a locking mechanism, a normally stationary, movably mounted coin support disposed adjacent said entrances, means for delivering a coin to said support and for holding-it on edge thereon in a predetermined position, saidmeans including a coin actuator having an abutting face arranged to engage the edge of the coin to move it on said support to release said locking mechanism and thereafter to deliver the coin' to said re taining passage, and manually controlled means for moving said support downwardly to disengage the coin from said actuator and deliver it to said restoring passage.

6. A coin controlled mechanism having a coinrestoring and a coin-retaining passage, said passages having adjacently disposed entrances, a locking mechanism, a normally stationary, movably mounted coin support disposed adjacent said entrances, means for delivering a plurality of coins to said support and for holding them on edge and side by side thereon, a coin actuator having faces arranged to engage the edges of the coins sustained by said support, means for moving said actuator simultaneously to move the coins on said support to release said locking mechanism and thereafter to deliver the coins tosaid retaining passage, and means independent of said actuator to move said support to disengage the coins from said actuator and deliver them to said restoring passage.

7. A coin controlled mechanism having a coinrestoring and a coin-retaining passage, said passages having adjacently disposed entrances, a locking mechanism, a normally stationary, movably mounted coin support disposed adjacent said entrances, means for delivering a coin to said support, a coin actuator having a coin slot therethrough and normally disposed directly over said support in position to receive a coin delivered to said support and to hold it in a predetermined position while sustained on its edge by said support, means for moving said actuator to propel the coin from said support to release said locking mechanism and thereafter permit the coin to fall into said receiving passage and means independent of said actuator to move said support to free the coin from said actuator and to deliver it into said restoring passage.

8. A coin controlled mechanism having a coinrestoring and a coin-retaining passage, said passages having adjacently disposed entrances, a locking mechanism, a normally stationary, movably mounted coin support disposed adjacent said entrances, a plurality of coin receiving passages for delivering a plurality of coins to said'support. a coin actuator having a plurality of coin slots therethrough arranged side by side and normally disposed directly over said support in position to receive the coins supplied to said support and to hold them on their edges while sustained by said support, means for moving said actuator to propel the coins from said support to release said locking mechanism and thereafter to permit the coins to fall into said receiving passage, and means independent of said actuator to move said support to free the coins from said actuator and to deliver them to said restoring passage.

9. A normally locked coin-controlled mechanism having a downwardly extending coin-entrance passage and a coin-restoring passage branching laterally and extending downwardly therefrom, a coin support at the lower end of said entrance passage, to which the coins are normally delivered and from which they are moved to release said mechanism, said support being arranged normally to close communication between the lower end of said entrance passage and the downwardly extending portion of said restoring passage, means to hold a coin vertically on edge thereon in position to provide adeflecting surface to divert coins into said restoring passage which may be placed in said entrance passage before the coin on said support has been discharged therefrom and manually controlled means for moving said support to deliver a coin held thereon into said restoring passage.

10. In a normally locked coin-controlled dispensing mechanism having a coin-restoring passage, a normally stationary coin receiver to which a coin is normally delivered, dispensing means having means arranged to be operated thereby to move the coin from said receiver to unlock said mechanism and to deliver the coin to a position in which it will be retained, and manually operated means, independent of said dispensing means, for delivering the coin from said receiver to said restoring passage. I

' 11. A normally locked coin controlled dispensing mechanism having a coin-restoring passage, a normally stationary, movably mounted coin support disposed adjacent said passage, means for delivering a coin to said support and for holding it thereon in a predetermined position, dispensing means having means arranged to be operated thereby when moved to perform a dispensing operation to move the coin from said support to unlock said mechanism and to deliver the coin to a position in which it will be retained, and manually controlled means independent of said dispensing means arranged to move said support to deliver a coin thereon into said restoring passage.

12. In a normally locked coin controlled dispensing mechanism having coin retaining and coin restoring passages, a normally stationary coin receiver, to which coins are normally delivered, disposed between the entrances to said passages, dispensing means having means arranged to be operated thereby to move a coin sup- 

